Is it okay to leave a Honda Civic 2008 non operable for 5 months?

I need to travel to the east coast and work from there for a duration
of 5 months. I can leave my car in covered parking here and ask a

friend to start the car for a few minutes every week.
What possible issues could I face with the car maintenance when I
return? Or what issues can arise since the car will be non-operable
for a long period?
The car is a Honda Civic 2008 in good condition.
Also, I have the option of shipping the car to east coast - but it
would cost me anywhere from 850 - 1000 dollars.
Thanks in advance,
Vivekian

running it for a few minutes regularly can be very problematic - it
won't get hot enough to self-clean and it'll quickly coke up. not to
mention exhaust moisture accumulating in the oil and high gasoline
mixture diluting the oil film on cylinder walls.
personally, i'd run it until the tank was near empty, change the oil so
you're leaving it clean, disconnect the battery and just leave it. when
you come to re-start, fill the tank with fresh gas, and maybe change the
oil again [although personally, i probably wouldn't], reconnect the
battery, and drive away.
you'll also be best advised to put the battery on a smart charger that
de-sulfates. if you google this group, you'll see different brands
recommended based on users personal experience.

Why not drive to the east coast? I've driven across the country more than twenty times and I always prefer it to anything else. I used to drive from Dallas to Sacramento for the Traditional Jazz Jubilee every year. Dallas to St. Louis for the Ozarks Jazz fest. Sacramento to Columbus, Ohio, etc. My company shipped my car (they get group rates,) so I let them ship one and drove the other. My son graduated from the USMC boot camp in San Diego and we flew. Pack the car, go down to the airport. Unpack the car. Wait for the bus. Pack the bus. Gio to the terminal. Unpack the bus. Truck to the check-in. Walk to the gate. Take off the shoes, the belt, the cellphone, the change. Go through the scanner. Pick up the stuff, make it to the gate, wait, wait, wait. The plane is always late to be loaded. Just try to pack something in the overhead before Joe Blow and Sally Schmoe fills it with three bags, which is a no-no, but no one cares. Shuffle over some fat person, who has already put the seat divider up so they can spread their fat over your seat, then get kicked by the kid in the back. Late taking off, only a little turbulence which makes them not serve anything, and late landing, late to the gate, late for the baggage, toe them bags then late to the shuttle to the rental car, which is, of course, several miles away from the San Diego airport. Tote those bags, Wait in the line. Get some non-nondescript car. Tote those bags. Note all the dings on the car, which is hard because it is now night. Try to exit. Wait in line. Get on the exit from the airport and just try to get out. Get out on the freeway and try to find the motel. Find the motel. Tote the bags.
On the other hand, when we went down for his advanced graduation, we packed the bags in the car, and drove down Interstate 5 directly to the hotel. It took less time and we felt a whole lot better.

If you need a vehicle at the other end, you really should
take a closer look at driving.
1) it's a lot cheaper and less hassle than renting a car at the other end.
2) the cost of gas + accomodation + food for such a trip
works out to be about the same as plane fare in my experience
3) having been on several long business trips, I found I've
been much more confortable with my own Civics than what rental
agencies have.
4) if you include a weekend, and don't play tourist on the way
you are only talking about using 2-3 days of vacation each way.
(less if you would have flown on a week day).
5) In eight months (next year), perhaps you can take some real vacation
and take a more leisurely trip back and play tourist on the trip.

twenty times and I always prefer it to anything else. I used to drive from
Dallas to Sacramento for the Traditional Jazz Jubilee every year. Dallas to St.
Louis for the Ozarks Jazz fest. Sacramento to Columbus, Ohio, etc. My company
shipped my car (they get group rates,) so I let them ship one and drove the
other. My son graduated from the USMC boot camp in San Diego and we flew. Pack
the car, go down to the airport. Unpack the car. Wait for the bus. Pack the
bus. Gio to the terminal. Unpack the bus. Truck to the check-in. Walk to the
gate. Take off the shoes, the belt, the cellphone, the change. Go through the
scanner. Pick up the stuff, make it to the gate, wait, wait, wait. The plane
is always late to be loaded. Just try to pack something in the overhead before
Joe Blow and Sally Schmoe fills it with three bags, which is a no-no, but no one
cares. Shuffle over some fat person, wh
o has already put the seat divider up so they can spread their fat over your
seat, then get kicked by the kid in the back. Late taking off, only a little
turbulence which makes them not serve anything, and late landing, late to the
gate, late for the baggage, toe them bags then late to the shuttle to the rental
car, which is, of course, several miles away from the San Diego airport. Tote
those bags, Wait in the line. Get some non-nondescript car. Tote those bags.
Note all the dings on the car, which is hard because it is now night. Try to
exit. Wait in line. Get on the exit from the airport and just try to get out.
Get out on the freeway and try to find the motel. Find the motel. Tote the
bags.

the bags in the car, and drove down Interstate 5 directly to the hotel. It took
less time and we felt a whole lot better.
Ya' gotta love guys like you!
The OP asks a straightforward question about long-term vehicle storage
and you reply with a self-centered, rambling, off-topic diatribe about
what you did on your summer vacation. Sheesh!

Okay, okay. I got carried away. Sorry. I'd still drive. Then I would have a
car. Just me. Fraternities? Society of the Pen and Sword. OCS Hall of Fame.
US National War College Alumni Association. All military stuff. I'll be quiet
now.

I would not recommend starting the car for a few minutes every week. Just
park it and leave it. But if you MUST have your friend start the car
regularly, let it idle for at least a half-hour before shutting it off
again.
If you decide to leave the car un-used for 5 months:
1) fill the gas tank completely full,
2) make sure the tires are properly inflated
3) leave the parking brake OFF,
4) disconnect the battery negative cable.
Other than that, the car will be just fine when you get back.
The reason you need to disconnect the battery is that modern cars draw a
lot of power even when un-used, and the battery will eventually go flat if
it's not disconnected.
The parking brake needs to be left off because sometimes the shoes will
stick to the drums if left on for a long time.
Filling the gas tank all the way reduces the amount of oxygen available to
the fuel. The more oxygen, the faster the spoilage. If you have access to a
gas station that sells non-ethanol gas, that would be best.

At least with regard to gasoline-powered machines such as lawn tractors and
snowblowers, there seems to be two schools of thought for seasonal storage.
One is to run the gas tank completely dry (as cited in this thread), and the
other is adding stabilizer to the gasoline (actually the process is putting
stabilizer into an empty gas can and then adding the gasoline for good
mixing). I've chosen the latter and all's been well.

and if your "reason why" is based on [two pieces of] incomplete
information, then what? dig your heels in and insist anyway? much
better to stay in the comfort zone of ignorance than learn something new!

oxygen doesn't "spoil" fuel. things like water [ethanol containing
fuels], evaporation and even fungus can spoil fuel.
the first two are largely academic for this time frame in the typical
modern sealed tank. fungus can be a serious problem though and is
something the airline industry has fits over. check out cladosporium
resinae.
best leave the tank empty and fill with fresh fuel when returning. the
fresh fuel dilutes any gums, residues, the ethanol re-absorbs any
moisture [rust is not an issue in modern hdpe tanks], and when pumped
[injection fuel pumps circulate], will ensure the engine has fresh
[summer] fuel from which to start.

gasoline is a BLEND of hydrocarbons with different levels of volatility.
for winter blends,refiners increase the level of easier vaporizing HCs for
easier cold starting.
When the easier-vaporizing HC's evaporate away(absorbed by the emissions
control evap canister?),the remaining HCs "gum up",particularly if water is
present. Ethanol absorbs water.
what's funny is ethanol is also added as an "oxygenate",besides as a gas
substitute or "stretcher".

"volumizer" is the word they used to use on the petroleum producers p.r.
website.
the oilco's just can't believe their luck with all this ethanol b.s.
lower grade fuel can be sold because of the octane enhancement of
ethanol, plus they now have the ability to add water [!], all producing
lower mpg's and thus increasing sales. and they get extra tax benefits
to boot!

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